Loose-leaf binder



Oct. 6, 1925.

F. B. A. KIRSTEN LOOSE LEAF BINDER Filed Aug. 5, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 when 14 Oct. 6, 1925.

F. B. A. KIRSTEN LOOSE LEAF BINDER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 /Hm E gwwwtoz Filed Aug. 5, 1924 Oct. 6, 1925.

F. a. A. KIRSTEN LOOSE LEAF BINDER r vM o a M m M a m 31. s m a a 3 m 4 w L. m

m m m Patented Got. 6, 1925.

FREDERICK B. A. KIRSTEN, OF MASON CITY, IOWA.

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

Application filed August 5, 1924.

T 0 (ZZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, FREDERICK B. A. Kin- STEN, a subject of the King of England, residing at Mason City, in the county of CBITO Gordo and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Binders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in loose leaf binders, wherein the sections or covers of the binders are connected by flexible thongs on which, between the clamping bars, the loose leaves are designed to be applied.

The improvement is particularly directed to means to facilitate the convenient separa tion of the clamping bars to permit the insertion or removal of sheets, through permitting endwise movement of the thongs, one end of the thongs being connected to means adapted for manual adjustment and designed to be locked in different relative positions to insure clamping cooperation of the clamping bars with the loose leaves for any number of such leaves from the minimum to the maximum permitted by th particular structure.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means whereby the cover sections of the binder may be readily and conveniently locked against separation, to thereby prevent access to the leaves in the binder,

except through the use of a proper key.

The invention is illustrated in the accom panying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of binder shown open.

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the same, the inserted sheets being omitted.

Fig. 4 is a plan view with the sections open, the closing plate of one section being removed to show the interior construction.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view, partly in elevation, showing the clamping bars in clamping position and the operating means therefor in locked position.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 7 is an edge view showing particularly the covering flap for the clamping rods.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the connected end of one of the loose levers designed for cooperation with the binder.

. Fig. 9 is a perspective view'of one end of the improved Serial No. 730,313.

the slide forming a part of the thong ad- I slide for the thong adjusting mechanism.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the mov-' able thong connecting bar forming part of the thong adjusting means.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing the clamping bars.

Fig. 17 is a perspective View of one end of,

the locking strip.

The improved loose leaf binder is made up of a cover section 1 and a back 2, each of appropriate surface area, to the similar side edges of each of which is connected a clamping bar 3. The clamping bars 3 are semicircular in cross section, with their flat or. diametric sides facing each other, the rounded sides being movably connected to the respective back and cover sections by hinge members, including plates 4 secured in the edgeof the section at appropriate intervals and terminally formed with openings to receive a screw eye or similar connector 5 projecting from the clamping bar. The clamping bars are recessed on the rounded surface as at 6 to permit the projecting portions of the plates 4 forming the hinges to move into parallelism with the flat sides of the bars, to permit of folding or closing of the back and I cover of the binder.

Thongs 7, in appropriate number, are ter minally secured in the clamping bar, which is hingedly connected to the cover section, and pass slidably through openings 8 in the opposite clamping bar, the latter clamping bar being formed with recesses 9 in line with the thongs to permit a right angle turning of the thongs in the closing of the binder.

The inside of the back section of the binder is recessed. at 10 to receive the adjusting mechanism for the thongs, the recessed face of the back being adapted to receive a closing plate 11 to cover the recess and the adjusting mechanism, except in the particular hereinafter noted. The thongs 7 extend through slots 12 in the forward Wall of the recess 10, and within said recess are connected to a transverse bar 13, which is freely Fig. 14 is a broken perspective view of the movable in the recess 10. To this bar 13 is connected a spring rod 14, the rod being of less length than the bar and connected thereto by suitable clips 15. Centrally of the bar is provided a finger piece 16, which is freely rotatable on the bar and is provided with a hooked portion 17 at its free terminal and a ring 18 by which the finger piece may be manipulated, as will later appear.

A slide bar 19 is movably mounted on the bottom of the recess, preferably by headed pins 20 secured to the back section and passing through slots 21 in the slide 19. This slide underlies the finger piece 16 and is formed with a series of openings 22, with either of which the hook 17 of the linger piece may readily cooperate. Within the recess 10 at the end remote from the clamping bar is arranged a base 23, having elongated end strips 24: and a comparatively nar row connecting center strip 25, the side edges of the latter being upturned to form cars 26. Pivotally connected to the cars 26 is an operating lever '27 made up of a section of metal having the side walls turned downwardly at 28 and extended beyond the rear end of the cross strip, the terminals of the ears thus 'provided being formed with openings 30,

which are adapted to be pivotally connected to the cars 26 of the base 23. The end of the slide'is provided with a hingcdly connected lever section 31, the free end of which is down turned at 32 and connected to the arms 29 throughthe medium of openings 33 in the latter which are arranged in advance of the pivotal mounting points 30 of such arms. The connection thus provided acts in the nature of a lever pull-up to longitudinally operate the slide bar 19, as when the lever 27 is raised, the lever section 31 will be moved toward the operatic bar of the back, thus forcin the slide in that direction, and when the operating lever 27 is turned uown onto the base 23, the slide bar will be moved in the opposite direction, and by reason. of aligning the respective pivotal connections, the parts will be substantially locked or held in this position.

The closing plate 11 for the back is formed with a longitudinal slot 3 through which the slide plate and finger piece 18 a o exposed and capable of manipulation, and through which the operating lever 27 is exposed and capable of manipulation.

Assuming the binder open and it is desired to add'lea-ves, indicated at 35, to the thongs, or toremove leaves therefrom as the case may be, in which position of the parts, the clamping bars 3 will be drawn together to bind the leaves then in position and will be held in such clamping relation by the en gagement of the hook end 17 of the finger piece 16 in the appropriate opening '22 of the slide bar, the slide bar being held in ad vanced position through the depressed or down turned relation of the operating lever. The operating lever 27 is now raised, moving the slide bar rearwardly or toward the adjacent clamping bar, and thus freeing the tension on the thongs. now raised to disconnect the hook thereof from the appropriate opening 22 in the slide bar, and the bar 13 to which one end of the thongs 7 are connected, may be moved to separate the clamping bars and thereby permit the insertion or removal of th desired sheets Following the introduction or removal of the desired number of sheets, the clamping bars are to he again brought together in binding relation on said sheets, and to secure this result, the linger piece is moved away from the adjacent clamping bar, drawing upon the connected ends of the thongs until a substantial clamping cooperation is had between the clamping bars and the sheets. The hook end 17 of the finger piece 16 is then inserted in the appropriate opening 22 of the slide bar, following which the operating lever 27 is turned downwardly to locking or holding position. This draws the slide bar, and with it, the finger piece and connected ends of the thongs, in a direction to more tightly clamp the clamping bars on the sheets, and to an extent to exert an appreciable tension on the thongs. In this connection, attention is called particularly to the fact that the rod 14 on which the finger piece is centrally mounted, is of spring material, whereby the pull on the finger piece due to the movement of the slide bar in locking the parts in binding relation is transmitted to the thongs through a spring member which insures an even distribution of the tension on the thongs. If desired and as preferred, tapes 36 may be connected to the transverse bar 13 and extend through slots 37 inv the outer face of the back section of the binder, these tapes providing a convenient means for moving aclosing or covering flap which will be more particularly described hereinafter.

it is particularly desirable in a loose leaf binder of this character to provide means whereby the binder may be locked against opening to thereby prevent unauthorized admission to the bound sheets. To provide for this result, the cover section 1 of the binder is recessed inwardly from the free end edge to receive a lock frame 38, which accurately fits the slot and includes upstanding metallic side walls 39, one of which is formed with an opening 40 to provide a keeper for a lock bolt. A locking block 41 is hingedly connected at 4:2 to that side wall 39 opposite the keeper opening, this block 41 being interiorly provided with a key controlled locking bolt 43 operated by a key to be inserted through a key hole 44 in the upper surface of the block. The block is serrated or roughened at 45 on the under surface, and the base The finger piece is of the frame 38 may, if desired, be corre spondingly serrated. The block substantially fills the frame when closed, in which in the frame 38, it being understood that the,

channel 48 is merely an extension of the slot in which the frame 38 is positioned, except that beyond the frame, the channel is closed at top. The base frame 23, on which the slide manipulating members are mounted, is arranged near the free side edge of the back 2, and near this edge, said base is formed with a transverse slot 49 of a size to receive the hook 47 of th locking strip 46. Ordinarily, the locking strip is concealed in the channel 48, except the hook terminal, which projects slightly. beyond the free edge of the locking block. When it is desired to lock the binder, the locking block is turned back on its hinged connection, as shown in dotted lines Fig. 10, the lock strip pulled forwardly, and the hook 47 engaged with the slot 49 in the back section 2. The strip is then forced longitudinally of the channel through manipulation of said strip within the space provided in the frame 38 when the lock block is turned back, and when the strip has been substantially tightened, the lock block is turned down and locked. The locking strip is thus gripped by the block to prevent its endwise move ment, and the back and cover sections of the binder are obviously locked together. The locking connection may be released at will by simply unlocking the block 41 and swinging the same upwardly to release the locking stri A key operated lock 50 of any preferred type, is arranged in the back, accessible when the binder is open, and cooperating with the operating lever 27, to secure the latter against unauthorized operation.

A flap 51 is arranged to overlie the back and cover section and clamping bars, which flap is flexible and secured at one end to cover the outer surface of the cover section, preferably though not necessarily extending around the edges thereof, as shown.

A cooperating flexible or non flexible section 52 is secured to the outer surface back section of the binder, preferably embracing one or more edges thereof, and terminating in line with the inner edge of the back section. This section 52 forms with the back section of the binder a pocket 53, into which is slidably fitted the free portion of the flap 51. This free end of flap 51 is connected with the tapes 36, hereinbefore referred to, so that as the clamping bars are moved toward each other, the flap will be correspondingly operate-d. This covering flap arrangement is more particularly shown in Fig. 20. I

The back and cover sections may be made up of various materials and of course in various sizes, while theclamping bars may be made of metal or wood or other appropriate material so long as they present sufiicient rigidity to bind the sheets. The sheets 35 are of course formed with openings 54 of a'size to accommodate the thongs 7 and having restricted connecting-slits 55 leading through the edge of the sheet through which the latter may be applied to or removed from the thongs in an obvious manner.

Claims:

1. A loose leaf binder, including acover section, a clamping 'bar carried thereby, a back section, a clamping bar carried thereby, thongs connected to one of said clamping bars and passing loosely through the other, means whereby one end of the thongs may be held with relation to a particular section or be freed from connection with that section to fix the clamping bars in clamping relation or to permit separation of the clamping bars, said means including a spring rod to maintain an even tension on the thongs, a slide bar with which said means cooperates, and means to move the slide bar in one direction or the other to exert an increasing tension on the thongs or to relieve such tension.

2. A loose leaf binder, comprising a cover section, a semi-circular clamping bar hingedly connect-ed thereto, a back section, a semi-circular clamping bar hingedly connected thereto, thongs terminally connected to the clamping bar of the cover section and passing freely through the clamping bar of the back section, a transverse bar slidable in the back section and to which the free ends of the thongs are connected, a spring rod connected to the transverse bar, a hook member connected to the rod, a slide bar mounted for movement in the back section and formed with openings with any one of which the hook member is adapted to engage, and means for operating the slide bar.

3. A loose leaf binder, comprising a cover section, a semi-circular clamping bar hingedly connected thereto, a back section, a semi-circular clamping bar hingedly connected thereto, thongs terminally connected to the clamping bar of the cover section and passing freely through the clamping bar of the back section, a transverse bar slidable in the back section and to which the free ends of the thongs are connected, a spring bar connected at its end to the transverse bar, a hook member connected to the spring bar, a slide bar mounted for movement in the back section and formed with openings with any one of Which the hook member is adapted to engage, means for operating theslide bar, a closing flap to cover the clamping bars, said flap being slidably mounted With relation to the back section and tapes connected to the transverse bar and connected to the flap.

4. A loose leaf binder comprising a cover section, a back section, clamping bars connected to the respective sections, thongs connected to one of said bars and extending through the other, a bar having a limited sliding movement in the back section, means for operating said bar throughout such sliding movement, and a finger piece connected to said thongs and being adapted to engage with said bar in any one 01": a plurality of positions longitudinally of said bar.

5. A loose leaf binder comprising a cover section, a back section, clamping bars connected to the respective sections, thongs connected to one of said bars and extending through the other, a bar having a limited sliding movement in the back section, means for operating said bar throughout such sliding movement, and a finger piece resiliently connected to said thongs and being adapted to engage With said bar in any one of a plurality of positions longitudinally of said bar.

6. In a loose leaf binder, cover sections, flexible binding thongs uniting the cover sections, a slide bar mounted in one of the cover sections for longitudinal movement and formed With a series of apertures, a finger piece connected to the thongs and adapted to engage any of the apertures in the slide bar, and a pull-up lever connected to the slide bar for operating the latter to increase or relieve the tension on the thongs resulting from the connection of the finger piece With the slide bar.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FREDERICK B. A. KIRSTEN. s.l 

